He Made Foolish
Prophecies About The War, And Talked Of The Triumphs Which He Would
Win.
He wrote state-papers on matters which he did not understand,
and gave himself the airs of diplomatic learning while he showed
himself to be sadly ignorant of the very rudiments of diplomacy.
He
tried to joke as Lord Palmerston jokes, and nobody liked his joking.
He was greedy after the little appanages of power, taking from
others who loved them as well as he did privileges with which he
might have dispensed. And then, lastly, he was successful in
nothing. He had given himself out as the commander of the
commander-in-chief; but then under his command nothing got itself
done. For a month or two some men had really believed in Mr.
Seward. The policemen of the country had come to have an absolute
trust in him, and the underlings of the public offices were
beginning to think that he might be a great man. But then, as is
ever the case with such men, there came suddenly a downfall. Mr.
Cameron went from the cabinet, and everybody knew that Mr. Seward
would be no longer commander of the commander-in-chief. His prime
ministership was gone from him, and he sank down into the
comparatively humble position of Minister for Foreign Affairs. His
lettres de cachet no longer ran. His passport system was repealed.
His prisoners were released. And though it is too much to say that
writs of habeas corpus were no longer suspended, the effect and very
meaning of the suspension were at once altered.
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